FAR AND NEAR

Psalm 10
FAR AND NEAR
Why, O LORD, do you stand far off? If we call Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? (v.1)

We often gauge our relationship with God by the degrees of far and near. We say, "I feel that God is very far away" or "I can feel him very close to me." But such terms of measurement are relative. When we say God is far, is he far from us or are we far from him? In other words, who has moved?

The psalmist laments that God has given him the stand-off. God has gone and hidden himself somewhere. Of course, we realise he is talking in emotive, not literal, language. When we are overwhelmed in times of trouble, we feel that everyone (including God) has forsaken us. But when we think about it, we know it is not true, at least not with God. God is everywhere; he cannot be far away.

Thus, as the psalm progresses, the psalmist answers his own opening question. He calls on God, "Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God" (v.12). God is not far away. He sees: "But you, O God, do see trouble and grief" (v.14). He hears: "You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted...you listen to their cry" (v.17). God is within sight and within earshot after all.

Even in the estimation of physical distances (unless we are trained), an object may look 100 metres away to one and 500 metres to another. So when we feel that God is far away, we do well to remember that our judgment of "spiritual" distance may be wrong. Moreover, such judgment may be entirely from our end. We may not see him, but he can see us. We may not hear him, but he can hear us. If so, then all is well. God does not forsake his own.

We may be far, but God is always near.